World’s largest Porsche Service Centre opens in Abu Dhabi

An exclusive gala event was held on 23 January, 2012 at the new Porsche Facility in Musaffah area that was attended by customers, dignitaries, and members of the media. The opening was also used as a platform to reveal the highly acclaimed the new generation 911 Carrera and Carrera S Coupé. Spanning 6,000 square metres, the new Porsche facility embodies the unique Porsche design and is the largest in the region, incorporating a Service Centre and Porsche Approved Pre-owned Cars Showroom. It can accommodate over 200 vehicles and has 50 working bays aimed at further improving service quality without compromising on precision.

Ahmed Al Dhahry, Vice Chairman of the Motors Division at Ali & Sons Co. said, "This is an exciting day for us as we move into our brand new facility and celebrate the arrival of the new 911. The opening of the facility is Porsche Centre Abu Dhabi’s next step towards achieving customer service excellence. This multimillion Dirham facility further reinforces Ali and Sons Co’s commitment to Porsche customers in Abu Dhabi and also marks another major step in strengthening the brand, recognised for its superior quality." As a part of the evening, Porsche Centre Abu Dhabi celebrated the arrival of the latest 911 Carrera and Carrera S Coupé with a thrilling reveal show in the new showroom. The seventh-generation 911 has been completely redesigned to thrill even the sports car aficionados. The new 911 Carrera now features a flatter, stretched silhouette, exciting contours with precisely designed details. Its wheelbase is now 100 millimetres longer, sits lower to the ground and consequently offers even better handling dynamics for more driving pleasure of 911 connoisseurs.

The 911 remains Porsche’s iconic sports car, offering a blistering speed of 289 km/hr, it is the first passenger car in the world to feature a seven-speed manual transmission and the first sports car equipped with an auto start/stop function; electro-mechanical power steering and a new ‘coasting function’, in vehicles equipped with the Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK). The new electro-mechanical power steering offers even better precision and response, while increasing efficiency and reducing general fuel consumption. The athletic 350hp 3.4-litre boxer engine consumes a mere 8.2 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres; that’s 16% less than its predecessor. And, with an emission level of 194 g/km CO2, it is the first Porsche sports car to make it below the 200 g/km mark.

The Carrera S, featuring a 3.8-litre boxer engine, produces 400 hp and manages to accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 4.3 seconds. Pressing the ‘Sport Plus’ button on the optional Sport Chrono package cuts that to 4.1 seconds. The redesigned, lightweight body is an intelligent aluminium-steel construction, providing an overall weight reduction of up to 45 kilogrammes, offering significantly greater rigidity. Aerodynamic optimisation measures, including a wider, variably extending rear spoiler, means the lift of the new 911 Carrera is further reduced. In addition to the exterior, the iconic sports car has been transformed throughout. Porsche’s Design Team from Weissach created a completely new interior, based on cues from the Carrera GT. The driver is now even more closely integrated with the cockpit, thanks to the centre console rising up to the front with the high-mounted shift lever located especially close to the steering wheel, in typical motor sport fashion.

Ahmed Al Dhahry concluded, "Expectations have been high since initial images were released last year, and we anticipate strong demand given the model’s attractive design and outstanding driving features. The inauguration of our new facility provides the perfect environment for the launch of this iconic model, and we are confident that this combination will mark the foundation of even more success in the future."